Ban cosmetics testing on animals in India: Debasree Roy

Kolkata, Jan 24 (IANS) Describing testing of cosmetics on animals as "barbaric and cruel", Trinamool Congress legislator and actress Debasree Roy Thursday urged the government to ban it in India.

"Animal testing bans in Europe prove that cosmetics animal suffering is completely unnecessary. India must embrace modern non-animal technologies available that are more reliable," Roy said here during an awareness campaign seeking a ban on the process.

"Why is the government of India still lagging in making a decision that is so simple," asked Roy at the programme organised by the Humane Society International (HSI) - an international animal protection organisation.

Alleging that several cosmetics company unable to do the animal tests in Europe do it in India, HSI activist Alokparna Sengupta said that India should not allow these companies to follow this discriminatory policy and ban the process.

"There is all possibility that European companies perform the tests in India as they are not allowed back home. The India government must not allow this discrimination and ban all together animal testing," she said.

Sengupta also said that there are over 400 cosmetics companies all over the world which do not resort to animal testing, adding that there are over 18,000 different reliable chemicals and substances which can be used to make cosmetics and eliminate the need for animal testing.

"There are more than 40 non-animal tests that have been validated for use. Moreover, the reliability of animal testing is far low so the government must legislate a new law to ban the cruel process," added Sengupta.

The HSI has been campaigning worldwide including India seeking ban on testing cosmetics on animals.